Community Approach to Care in Nursing

Running head: COMMUNITY APPROACH TO CARE IN NURSING
Community approach to care in nursing
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s note

1COMMUNITY APPROACH TO CARE IN NURSING
Name of community: Collinsville community, a rural area in Queensland, Australia
Population of community: 3, 318 as per 2017 statistics (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017)
The most pressing health problem identified: Respiratory health problem due to mining
activities.
Section 1: Discussion on the most pressing health problem in the community:
Respiratory problems and other health issues in children and elderly people is considered
the most pressing health issue for the Collinsville community because of coal mining activities
and its impact of environment and the quality of air of the surrounding area. Focusing on mining
and its impact of health of the community is important because coal mining is the main
occupation for people living in Collinsville. Coal mining is linked to respiratory conditions
because of exposure to coal mining dust. Inhalation of the coal mining dust is responsible for
several types of respiratory disease such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and dust related
diffused fibrosis (Laney & Weissman, 2014). As coal mining is linked to the rise of the town, it
is imperative that the coal mining activity is the reason behind respiratory problem in Collinsville
community.
The link between coal mining activities and respiratory disease is also understood from
review of primary research papers. Air pollution is the direct consequence of coal mining
activities and air pollution is a determinant of poor health. Pandey, Agrawal and Singh (2014)
have given good explanation regarding the impact of rapid increase in energy demands and its
link with environmental issues in many countries. Coal is the cheapest source of energy and

2COMMUNITY APPROACH TO CARE IN NURSING
mining activities in relation to coal production is one of the contributors of air pollution directly
or indirectly. The most common pollutants released due to coal mining activities include sulphur
dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter and heavy metals. These pollutants can deteriorate
the quality of air as well as affect the human health in the coal mining areas. Black lung disease
and chronic bronchitis are common among miners. Hence, people living in Collinsville are most
likely to suffer from poor health because of exposure to harmful air pollutants.
Woolley et al. (2015) investigated about the impact of coal mining on self-rated health in
Appalachia. The study gave details on the qualitative part of a health needs assessment
conducted for people in regional Queensland. The advantage of using health needs assessment
model was that it helped to identify inequalities and health priorities for target population. The
analysis of self-rated response revealed that people in Queensland experienced social, economic
and environmental impacts during the development phase of the coal mine. This has impact on
lifestyle factors such as social capital and mental health. Participants also raised concern
regarding the impact of coal mining on health and well-being. The study mainly highlighted
about mental health issues due to mining activities. Laney and Attfield (2010) highlighted the
prevalence of pneumoconiosis or progressive massive fibrosis among underground coal miners
in United States by the examination of chest radiographs from 1970 to 2009. The prevalence of
the health issue increased in the mines of all sizes suggesting the need to consider exposure
assessment and review of physical health of people living in Collinsville community. Santo
Tomas (2011) revealed cumulative effect of coal dust exposure to the development of
emphysema and risk of death due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Hence,
considering the impact of coal mining on health, finding strategies to prevent respiratory problem
in the community is necessary.